Apparatus and Method for Forming a Wave Form for a Stent From a Wire

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for forming a wave form for a stent from a wire includes a first forming member configured to move substantially parallel to a first axis and to move substantially parallel to a second axis that is orthogonal to the first axis, and a second forming member configured to move substantially parallel to the first axis and to move substantially parallel to the second axis. The second forming member is positioned opposite from the first forming member relative to the second axis along which the wire is configured to travel. The apparatus includes a controller configured to control movement of the first forming member relative to the wire and to control movement of the second forming member relative to the wire so that the first forming member and the second forming member deform the wire in opposite directions to form a portion of the wave form.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is generally related to an apparatus and methodfor forming a wave form for a stent. More particularly, the presentinvention is related to an apparatus and method for forming the waveform from a wire.

2. Background of the Invention

A stent is typically a hollow, generally cylindrical device that isdeployed in a body lumen from a radially contracted configuration into aradially expanded configuration, which allows it to contact and supporta vessel wall. A plastically deformable stent can be implanted during anangioplasty procedure by using a balloon catheter bearing a compressedor “crimped” stent, which has been loaded onto the balloon. The stentradially expands as the balloon is inflated, forcing the stent intocontact with the body lumen, thereby forming a support for the vesselwall. Deployment is effected after the stent has been introducedpercutaneously, transported transluminally, and positioned at a desiredlocation by means of the balloon catheter.

Stents may be formed from wire(s), may be cut from a tube, or may be cutfrom a sheet of material and then rolled into a tube-like structure.While some stents may include a plurality of connected rings that aresubstantially parallel to each other and are oriented substantiallyperpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the stent, others may include ahelical coil that is wrapped around the longitudinal axis at anon-perpendicular angle.

A stent that includes a helical coil may be formed from a single wirethat includes a wave form that is configured to allow the stent toradially expand. In view of the small size of the stents, it may bedifficult to form a stent from a single wire while controlling the waveform so that the end result is a stent that expands uniformly along itslength.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention describe an apparatus and methodfor forming a wave form for a stent from a single wire.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided anapparatus for forming a wave form for a stent from a wire. The apparatusincludes a first forming member configured to move substantiallyparallel to a first axis and to move substantially parallel to a secondaxis that is orthogonal to the first axis, and a second forming memberconfigured to move substantially parallel to the first axis and to movesubstantially parallel to the second axis. The second forming member ispositioned opposite from the first forming member relative to the secondaxis along which the wire is configured to travel. The apparatusincludes a controller configured to control movement of the firstforming member relative to the wire and to control movement of thesecond forming member relative to the wire so that the first formingmember and the second forming member deform the wire in oppositedirections to form a portion of the wave form.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided amethod for forming a wave form for a stent from a wire. The methodincludes deforming the wire by moving a first forming member in a firstdirection substantially perpendicular to a wire axis defined by the wireprior to being deformed, and deforming the wire by moving a secondforming member located on a first side of the first forming member in asecond direction that is substantially opposite to the first direction.The method includes moving the first forming member away from the wire,moving the first forming member in a third direction substantiallyparallel to the wire axis to a position on an opposite side of thesecond forming member, and deforming the wire by moving the firstforming member in the first direction.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided anapparatus for forming a wave form for a stent from a wire. The apparatusincludes a plurality of first forming members spaced apart from oneanother along a wire axis. Each first forming member is configured tomove substantially parallel to the wire axis and to move substantiallyparallel to a second axis that is orthogonal to the wire axis. Theapparatus also includes a plurality of second forming members spacedapart from one another along the wire axis so that at least one of thesecond forming members is in between two of the first forming membersalong the wire axis. Each second forming member is configured to movesubstantially parallel to the wire axis and to move substantiallyparallel to the second axis. The apparatus includes a controllerconfigured to control movement of the first forming members and movementof the second forming members so that the first forming members and thesecond forming members deform the wire in opposite directions to form aportion of the wave form.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided amethod for forming a stent from a wire. The method includes deformingthe wire with a plurality of first forming members by moving the firstforming members in a first direction, deforming the wire with aplurality of second forming members by moving the second forming membersin a second direction that is substantially opposite the firstdirection, and moving the first forming members and the second formingmembers in a third direction that is substantially orthogonal to thefirst and second directions. The method includes moving the firstforming members away from the wire in the second direction, moving thesecond forming members away from the wire in the first direction, andadvancing the wire in the third direction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of exampleonly, with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings in whichcorresponding reference symbols indicate corresponding parts, and inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an apparatus for forming a wave form for astent from a wire when the wire is first fed into the apparatus, and afirst forming member and a second forming member are in home positions;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 when the firstforming member engages and deforms the wire;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the apparatus of FIG. 2 when the secondforming member engages and deforms the wire;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the apparatus of FIG. 3 when the secondforming member moves away from the wire;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the apparatus of FIG. 4 when the secondforming member moves in a direction substantially parallel to the wire;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the apparatus of FIG. 5 when the secondforming member engages and deforms the wire;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the apparatus of FIG. 6 when the firstforming member disengages the wire;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the apparatus of FIG. 7 when the firstforming member moves in the direction substantially parallel to thewire;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view of the apparatus of FIG. 8 when the firstforming member engages and deforms the wire;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of the apparatus of FIG. 9 when the firstforming member and the second forming member disengage the wire;

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of the apparatus of FIG. 10 when the wire ismoved relative to the apparatus and the first forming member and thesecond forming member return to their respective home positions;

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of the apparatus of FIG. 11 when the firstforming member engages and deforms the wire;

FIG. 13 is a schematic view of a first waveform produced with theapparatus of FIGS. 1-12;

FIG. 14 is a schematic view of a second waveform produced with theapparatus of FIGS. 1-12;

FIG. 15 is a schematic view of another embodiment of an apparatus forforming a wave form for a stent from a wire when the wire is first fedinto the apparatus, and a plurality of first forming members and aplurality of second forming members are in their respective homepositions;

FIG. 16 is a schematic view of the apparatus of FIG. 15 when the firstforming members and the second forming members engage and deform thewire to form the wave form;

FIG. 17 is a schematic view of the apparatus of FIG. 15 when the firstforming members and the second forming members disengage and move awayfrom the wire;

FIG. 18 is a schematic view of the apparatus of FIG. 15 when the wire ismoves relative to the apparatus, and the first forming members and thesecond forming members return to their respective home positions;

FIG. 19 is a schematic block diagram that illustrates communicationbetween a controller and other parts of the apparatus of FIGS. 1-12; and

FIG. 20 is a schematic block diagram that illustrates communicationbetween a controller and other parts of the apparatus of FIGS. 15-18.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and isnot intended to limit the invention or the application and use of theinvention. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by anyexpressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field,background, brief summary or the following detailed description.

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a portion of an apparatus 10 forforming a wave form for a stent from a wire 12. A supply 14 of the wire12 is provided to the apparatus 10. In an embodiment, the supply 14 mayinclude a spool upon which the wire 12 is wound. The wire 12 may haveany suitable diameter for the intended stent application. In anembodiment, the wire 12 may have a diameter between about 0.0025″ andabout 0.0050″.

The supply 14 may be mounted outside of the apparatus 10 or within theapparatus 10 so that the wire 12 may be fed in a first direction 1D intoa wire forming area 16 of the apparatus 10 via an inlet 15. Asillustrated, the wire 12 extends through the wire forming area 16substantially along an axis, and exits the wire forming area 16 via anoutlet 17. A suitable clamp 18 may be located just outside the wireforming area 16, as illustrated, or may be located within the wireforming area 16. The illustrated embodiment is not intended to belimiting in any way. The clamp 18 is configured to clamp the wire 12 sothat tension may be applied to the wire 12 as the wire 12 is formed intoa predetermined shape, as discussed in further detail below.

The apparatus 10 also includes a first forming member 20 and a secondforming member 22, each of which being located within the wire formingarea 16. As illustrated, the first forming member 20 is located on oneside of the wire 12 and the second forming member 22 is located on anopposite side of the wire 12 as compared to the first forming member 20.The first forming member 20 and the second forming member 22 each have asubstantially elongated shape, similar to a finger, that is orientedsubstantially perpendicular to a (longitudinal) wire axis that isdefined by the wire 12, as illustrated.

The first forming member 20 includes a wire engaging surface 24 that isconfigured to engage the wire 12 when the first forming member 20 ismoved in a second direction 2D that is substantially orthogonal to thefirst direction 1D. After the wire engaging surface 24 has engaged thewire 12, the first forming member 20 continues to move in the seconddirection 2D to deform the wire 12, as shown in FIG. 2. When the desireddeformation is obtained, movement of the first forming member 20 in thesecond direction 2D is stopped and the wire 12 is held in place by thefirst forming member 20, as well as the clamp 18. Although the wireengaging surface 24 of the first forming member 20 is illustrated ashaving a triangular configuration, such a configuration is shown forschematic purposes. For example, the wire engaging surface 24 may bemore rounded and may have a tip that has a radius that is substantiallythe same as the inner radius of the desired shape of the deformed wire.The illustrated embodiment is not intended to be limiting in any way.

The first forming member 20 may be moved in the second direction 2D by afirst actuator 26, which may be configured to move in the firstdirection 1D along a suitable structure, such as a rail 28. Such X-Yactuators are known in the actuator art and therefore will not bediscussed in further detail herein. The first actuator 26 may be incommunication with a controller 30 (as shown in FIG. 19) that isprogrammed to determine the X-Y position of the first forming member 20relative to the wire 12 at any given time. The controller 30 isconfigured to signal the first actuator 26 to move the first formingmember 20 to the desired coordinates within the wire forming area 16, asdiscussed in further detail below.

Similarly, the second forming member 22 includes a wire engaging surface34 that is configured to engage the wire 12 when the second formingmember 22 is moved in a third direction 3D that is substantiallyopposite to the second direction 2D and orthogonal to the firstdirection 1D. After the wire engaging surface 34 has engaged the wire12, the second forming member 22 continues to move in the thirddirection 3D to deform the wire 12, as shown in FIG. 3. When the desireddeformation is obtained, movement of the second forming member 22 in thethird direction 3D is stopped and the wire 12 is momentarily held inplace by both the first forming member 20 and the second forming member22. Although the wire engaging surface 34 of the second forming member22 is illustrated as having a triangular configuration, such aconfiguration is shown for schematic purposes. For example, like thewire engaging surface 24 of the first forming member 20, the wireengaging surface 34 may be more rounded and may have a tip that has aradius that is substantially the same as the inner radius of the desiredshape of the deformed wire. The illustrated embodiment is not intendedto be limiting in any way.

In an embodiment, the wire engaging surface 24 of the first formingmember 20 and the wire engaging surface 34 of the second forming member22 have substantially the same shape. In an embodiment, the shapes ofthe wire engaging surface 24 of the first forming member 20 and the wireengaging surface 34 of the second forming member 22 are different.

The second forming member 22 may be moved in the third direction 3D, aswell as the second direction 2D and first direction 1D, by a secondactuator 36 that is configured to move in the first direction 1D along asuitable structure, such as a rail 38. Actuation of the second actuator36 may be controlled by the controller 30, which also determines the X-Yposition of the second forming member 22 relative to the wire 12 at anygiven time. The controller 30 may be configured to signal the secondactuator 36 to move the second forming member 22 to the desiredcoordinates within the wire forming area 16.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, after the second forming member 22 hasdeformed the wire 12, the first actuator 26 may move the first formingmember 20 in the third direction 3D away from the wire 12. The firstactuator 26 may then move along the rail 28 to move the first formingmember 20 in the first direction 1D, as illustrated in FIG. 5, to aposition that is downstream of the second forming member 22 relative tothe direction of travel of the wire 12 along the axis, so that the firstforming member 20 is on an opposite side of the second forming member 22as compared to its previous position (shown in FIG. 3). Once the firstforming member 20 is positioned at the desired location relative to thesecond forming member 22, the first actuator 26 moves the first formingmember 20 in the second direction 2D so that the wire engaging surface24 of the first forming member 20 engages the wire 12 and deforms thewire 12 to the desired amount of deformation, as shown in FIG. 6.

The first forming member 20 (and the clamp 18) may then be used to holdthe wire 12 in position as the second actuator 36 moves the secondforming member 22 away from the wire 12 in the second direction, asillustrated by FIG. 7. After the second forming member 22 has clearedthe wire 12, the second actuator 36 may move along the rail 38 so thatthe second forming member 22 moves in the first direction 1D to aposition that is downstream of the first forming member 20 relative tothe direction of travel of the wire 12 along the axis, as shown in FIG.8. The second forming member 22 may then be moved by the second actuator36 in the third direction 3D so that the wire engaging surface 34 of thesecond forming member 22 engages the wire 12 and deforms the wire 12 tothe desired amount of deformation, as illustrated by FIG. 9. Thisprocess may be repeated until the wire 12 within the wire forming area16 has been deformed to its desired wave form 40.

As illustrated by FIG. 10, after the wire 12 has been deformed to itsdesired wave form 40 in the wire forming area 16, the first formingmember 20 may be moved in the third direction 3D by the first actuator26 and the second forming member 22 may be moved in the second direction2D by the second actuator 36 to positions that are clear of the wire 12.At substantially the same time, the clamp 18 may be actuated to releasethe wire 12. The wire 12 may then be advanced in the first direction 1Dso that the wave form 40 that was created in the wave forming area 16may be moved out of the wave forming area 16 and a straight length ofwire 12 may enter the wire forming area 16 via the inlet 15, as shown inFIG. 11. The clamp 18 may be configured to grasp the wire form 40 in amanner that will not deform, i.e., straighten or otherwise alter, thewire form 40.

FIG. 12 illustrates the beginning of a second cycle of the apparatus 10to create a wire form for the next segment of the wire 12. Asillustrated, the first forming member 20 is moved by the first actuator26 in the second direction 2D to engage and deform the wire 12 in thesame manner as discussed above with reference to FIG. 2. The sequence ofmovement of the first forming member 20 and the second forming member 22may be the same as the sequence illustrated by FIGS. 3-11, and may befurther repeated until the desired length of wire 12 has been impartedwith the desired wave form 40. For example, FIGS. 13 and 14 illustrateembodiments of wave forms 42, 44, respectively, that may be produced onthe apparatus 10. As illustrated, the wave forms 42, 44 have generallysinusoidal shapes, each of which having curves that have substantiallythe same amplitude and frequency. The amplitude of the curves may bevaried by deforming the wire 12 in the apparatus 10 to a greater orlesser extent with the first and second forming members 20, 22. Forexample, to create the wire form 44 shown in FIG. 14, the first andsecond forming member 20, 22 may be moved greater distances after theirrespective wire engaging surfaces 24, 34 have engaged the wire 12, ascompared to the distances travelled by the first and second formingmembers 20, 22 after the wire engaging surfaces 24, 34 have engaged thewire 12 to form the wire form 42 illustrated by FIG. 13. Of course, manyother shapes may be formed and the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 13and 14 are not intended to be limiting in any way.

For example, because the movement of the wire 12, the first formingmember 20, and the second forming member 22 are controlled by thecontroller 30, each wave that is formed may be different, i.e., may havea different amplitude, wavelength, shape, etc., as compared to adjacentwaves. In an embodiment, each wave of the wave form may have a uniqueamplitude and wavelength.

FIG. 15 illustrates a portion of an apparatus 100 for forming a waveform for a stent from the wire 112. Like the embodiment illustrated inFIGS. 1-12, the wire 112 is provided to the apparatus 100 by a supply114, which may include a spool upon which the wire 112 is wound. Thewire 112 may be fed in the first direction 1D into an inlet 115 of awire forming area 116 of the apparatus 100. As illustrated, the wire 112extends through the wire forming area 116 substantially along an axis,and exits the wire forming area 116 via an outlet 117. A suitable clamp118 may be located just outside the wire forming area 116, asillustrated, or may be located within the wire forming area 116. Theillustrated embodiment is not intended to be limiting in any way. Theclamp 118 is configured to clamp the wire 112 so that tension may beapplied to the wire 112 as the wire 112 is formed into a predeterminedshape, as discussed in further detail below.

The apparatus 100 also includes a plurality of first forming members 120and a plurality of second forming members 122, each of which beinglocated within the wire forming area 116. As illustrated, the firstforming members 120 are located on one side of the wire 112 and thesecond forming members 122 are located on an opposite side of the wire112 as compared to the first forming members 120. The first formingmembers 120 and the second forming members 122 have substantiallyelongated shapes, similar to the first and second forming members 20, 22described above.

Each of the first forming members 120 includes a wire engaging surface124 that is configured to engage and the wire 112 when the first formingmembers 120 are moved in a second direction 2D′ that is substantiallyorthogonal to the first direction 1D. After the wire engaging surfaces124 have engaged the wire 112, the first forming members 20 continue tomove in the second direction 2D′ to deform the wire 112, as shown inFIG. 16.

Each of the first forming members 120 may be moved in the seconddirection 2D′ by a respective first actuator 126, all of which may beconfigured to move in the first direction 1D along a suitable structure,such as a rail 128 in a similar manner as described above with respectto the first actuator 26 and rail 28. Each of the first actuators 126may be in communication with a controller 130 (as shown in FIG. 20) thatis programmed to determine the X-Y position of each of the first formingmembers 120 relative to the wire 112 at any given time. The controller130 is configured to signal the first actuators 126 to move the firstforming members 120 to the desired coordinates within the wire formingarea 116.

Similarly, each of the second forming members 122 includes a wireengaging surface 134 that is configured to engage the wire 112 when thesecond forming members 122 are moved in a third direction 3D′. After thewire engaging surfaces 134 have engaged the wire 112, the second formingmembers 122 continue to move in the third direction 3D′ to deform thewire 112, as shown in FIG. 16. When the desired deformation is obtained,movement of the second forming members 122 in the third direction 3D′ isstopped and the wire 112 is momentarily held in place by the firstforming members 120 and the second forming members 122.

In an embodiment, all of the wire engaging surfaces 124 of the firstforming members 120 have substantially the same shape, and the wireengaging surfaces 134 of the second forming members 122 havesubstantially the same shape, and also have substantially the same shapeas the wire engaging surfaces 124 of the first forming members 120. Inan embodiment, the shapes of the wire engaging surfaces 124 of the firstforming members 20 and the wire engaging surfaces 134 of the secondforming members 122 are different. In an embodiment, each of the wireengaging surfaces 124, 134 are different. The illustrated embodiment isnot intended to be limiting in any way.

As illustrated in FIG. 16, the first actuators 126 move the firstforming members 120 in the first direction 1D as well as the seconddirection 2D′. At substantially the same time, the second actuators 136move the second forming members 122 in the first direction 1D as well asthe third direction 3D′ so that the wire 112 is engaged by the wireengaging surfaces 124, 134 at about the same time. In an embodiment, thewire engaging surfaces 124 of the first forming members 120 engage thewire 112 before the wire engaging surfaces 134 of the second formingmembers 122 engage the wire 112. In an embodiment, the wire engagingsurfaces 134 of the second forming members 122 engaging the wire 112before the wire engaging surfaces 124 of the first forming members 120.In an embodiment, each of the first forming members 120 and the secondforming members 122 may be actuated at different times so that therespective wire engaging surfaces 124, 134 engage the wire 112 atdifferent times. The controller 130 may be programmed so that thedesired sequence of actuations may occur to create the desired wave formin the wire 112.

For example, in an embodiment, the first forming member 120 that isclosest to the clamp 118 may be actuated first, and the second formingmember 122 that is closest to the clamp 118 may be actuated second. Theremaining first and second forming members may be actuated in analternating sequence until the first forming member that is closest tothe inlet 115 of the wire forming area 116 is actuated. All of theforming members 120, 122 may be retracted from the wire 112 at the sametime, and the wire may be advanced so that the portion of the wave formthat was formed by the first forming member that is closest to the inlet115 is aligned with the first forming member that is closest to theclamp 118. The sequence may repeat itself, starting with the firstforming member engaging the already formed portion of the wire form. Thesupply 114 may be configured to automatically advance the wire 112 asthe wire 112 is deformed into the wave form, as long as a slight tensionis maintained on the wire 112 so that the wire 112 remains straightwithin the wire forming area 116 until it is deformed.

As illustrated in FIG. 17, after a wave form 140 has been formed, thefirst forming members 120 may be moved in the third direction 3D′ todisengage from the wire 112, and the second forming members 122 may bemoved in the second direction 2D′ to disengage from the wire 112. Thecontroller 130 may then signal the clamp 118 to open and may signal thesupply 114 to advance the wire 112 a predetermined amount so that a newsection of wire 112 may be advanced into the wire forming area 116, asshown in FIG. 18. At about the same time, the first and second formingmembers 120, 122 may be moved along their respective rails 128, 138 inthe fourth direction 4D so that another cycle may begin. Once the clamp118 is closed, the process may be repeated until the desired amount ofwire 112 has been formed into the desired wave form.

For example, because the movement of the wire 112, the first formingmembers 120, and the second forming members 122 are controlled by thecontroller 130, each wave that is formed may be different, i.e., mayhave a different amplitude, wavelength, shape, etc., as compared toadjacent waves. In an embodiment, each wave of the wave form may have aunique amplitude and wavelength.

FIG. 19 schematically illustrates communication between the controller30 and other parts of the apparatus 10 that are illustrated in FIGS.1-12. As illustrated, the controller 30 is configured to communicatewith the supply 14, the clamp 18, the first actuator 26, and the secondactuator 36. As discussed above, the first actuator 26 is configured tomove the first forming member 20 in both X and Y directions (using thecoordinates depicted in FIG. 1). Similarly, the second actuator 36 isconfigured to move the second forming member 22 in both X and Ydirections. Once the desired wave form has been communicated to thecontroller 30, and the controller 30 is able to access a computerreadable medium that contains a method for forming the desired waveform, as described herein, the controller 30 may signal the supply 14,the clamp 18, the first actuator 26, and the second actuator 36 so thatthe apparatus 10 forms the desired wave form. Although a particularsequence of movement of the forming members 20, 22 is described above,other sequences may be programmed for execution by the controller. Forexample, in an embodiment, the second forming member 22 may be movedprior to the first forming member 20.

FIG. 20 schematically illustrates communication between the controller130 and other parts of the apparatus 100 that are illustrated in FIGS.15-18. As illustrated, the controller 130 is configured to communicatewith the supply 114, the clamp 118, the first actuators 126, and thesecond actuators 136. As discussed above, the first actuators 126 areeach configured to move a corresponding first forming member 120 in bothX and Y directions (using the coordinates depicted in FIG. 15).Similarly, the second actuators 136 are each configured to move acorresponding second forming member 122 in both X and Y directions. Oncethe desired wave form has been communicated to the controller 130, andthe controller 130 is able to access a computer readable medium thatcontains a method for forming the desired wave form, as describedherein, the controller 130 may signal the supply 114, the clamp 118, thefirst actuators 126, and the second actuators 136 so that the apparatus100 forms the desired wave form.

While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in theforegoing detailed description of the invention, it should beappreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should also beappreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments areonly examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability,or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the foregoingdetailed description will provide those skilled in the art with aconvenient roadmap for implementing an exemplary embodiment of theinvention, it being understood that various changes may be made in thefunction and arrangement of members described in an exemplary embodimentwithout departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in theappended claims.

1. An apparatus for forming a wave form for a stent from a wire, theapparatus comprising: a first forming member configured to movesubstantially parallel to a first axis and to move substantiallyparallel to a second axis that is orthogonal to the first axis; a secondforming member configured to move substantially parallel to the firstaxis and to move substantially parallel to the second axis, the secondforming member being positioned opposite from the first forming memberrelative to the second axis along which the wire is configured totravel; and a controller configured to control movement of the firstforming member relative to the wire and to control movement of thesecond forming member relative to the wire so that the first formingmember and the second forming member deform the wire in oppositedirections to form a portion of the wave form.
 2. The apparatusaccording to claim 1, further comprising a first actuator configured tomove the first forming member substantially parallel to the first axisand substantially parallel to the second axis, wherein the firstactuator is configured to be controlled by the controller.
 3. Theapparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second actuatorconfigured to move the second forming member substantially parallel tothe first axis and substantially parallel to the second axis, whereinthe second actuator is configured to be controlled by the controller. 4.The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first forming membercomprises a first engaging surface configured to engage the wire whenthe first forming member is moved in a first direction substantiallyparallel to the first axis, and wherein the second forming membercomprises a second engaging surface configured to engage the wire whenthe second forming member is moved in a second direction that issubstantially opposite to the first direction.
 5. The apparatusaccording to claim 4, wherein the first engaging surface and the secondengaging surface have substantially the same configuration.
 6. A methodfor forming a wave form for a stent from a wire, the method comprising:deforming the wire by moving a first forming member in a first directionsubstantially perpendicular to a wire axis defined by the wire prior tobeing deformed; deforming the wire by moving a second forming memberlocated on a first side of the first forming member in a seconddirection that is substantially opposite to the first direction; movingthe first forming member away from the wire; moving the first formingmember in a third direction substantially parallel to the wire axis to aposition on an opposite side of the second forming member; and deformingthe wire by moving the first forming member in the first direction. 7.The method according to claim 6, further comprising: moving the secondforming member in the first direction away from the wire; moving thesecond forming member in the third direction to a position on anopposite side of the first forming member so that the first side of thefirst forming member faces the second forming member; and deforming thewire by moving the second forming member in the second direction.
 8. Themethod according to claim 7, further comprising: moving the firstforming member and the second forming member away from the wire; andadvancing the wire in the third direction.
 9. The method according toclaim 6, wherein the first forming member and the second forming memberdeform the wire substantially the same amount.
 10. The method accordingto claim 6, wherein the wire has a diameter in a range between about0.0025″ and about 0.0050″.
 11. An apparatus for forming a wave form fora stent from a wire, the apparatus comprising: a plurality of firstforming members spaced apart from one another along a wire axis, eachfirst forming member being configured to move substantially parallel tothe wire axis and to move substantially parallel to a second axis thatis orthogonal to the wire axis; a plurality of second forming membersspaced apart from one another along the wire axis so that at least oneof the second forming members is in between two of the first formingmembers along the wire axis, each second forming member being configuredto move substantially parallel to the wire axis and to movesubstantially parallel to the second axis; and a controller configuredto control movement of the first forming members and movement of thesecond forming members so that the first forming members and the secondforming members deform the wire in opposite directions to form a portionof the wave form.
 12. The apparatus according to claim 11, furthercomprising a plurality of first actuators, each of which beingconfigured to move a respective first forming member substantiallyparallel to the wire axis and substantially parallel to the second axis,wherein the first actuators are configured to be controlled by thecontroller.
 13. The apparatus according to claim 11, further comprisinga plurality of second actuators, each of which being configured to movea respective second forming member substantially parallel to the wireaxis and substantially parallel to the second axis, wherein the secondactuators are configured to be controlled by the controller.
 14. Theapparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the first formingmembers comprises a first engaging surface configured to engage the wirewhen the first forming member is moved in a first directionsubstantially parallel to the second axis, and wherein each of thesecond forming members comprises a second engaging surface configured toengage the wire when the second forming member is moved in a seconddirection that is substantially opposite to the first direction.
 15. Theapparatus according to claim 14, wherein the first engaging surfaces andthe second engaging surfaces have substantially the same configuration.16. A method for forming a stent from a wire, the method comprising:deforming the wire with a plurality of first forming members by movingthe first forming members in a first direction; deforming the wire witha plurality of second forming members by moving the second formingmembers in a second direction that is substantially opposite the firstdirection; moving the first forming members and the second formingmembers in a third direction that is substantially orthogonal to thefirst and second directions; moving the first forming members away fromthe wire in the second direction; moving the second forming members awayfrom the wire in the first direction; and advancing the wire in thethird direction.
 17. The method according to claim 16, wherein saiddeforming the wire with the plurality of first forming members and saiddeforming the wire with the plurality of second forming members occursat substantially the same time.
 18. The method according to claim 16,wherein the first forming members and the second forming members deformthe wire substantially the same amount.
 19. The method according toclaim 16, wherein the wire has a diameter in a range between about0.0025″ and about 0.0050″.